Comparing the Behaviour of Domestic Pet Cats and Research Cats

Cats are among the most popular pets globa lly, yet little is known about how the home environment influences their behaviour. Most studies have focused on cats in shelters or research facilities, potentially limiting applicability to pet cats. This study combined behavioural data from cats in three housing conditions: indoor pet (n = 10), free-roaming pet (n = 18), and research (n = 8), collected in summer and winter. Eight behaviours were classified from collar-mounted accelerometer data using a validated machine learning model and analysed using generalised linear mixed models. Free-roaming pet cats were more active in summer than winter (3.9 ± 0.39% vs. 2.7 ± 0.33%; p < 0.001) and more active than both research (2.0 ± 0.36%; p = 0.004) and indoor pet cats (2.0 ± 0.36%; p < 0.001) in summer. Research cats spent more time lying (52.9 ± 2.03% vs. 36.9 ± 2.89%; p = 0.009) and eating (7.8 ± 0.41% vs. 2.4 ± 0.39%; p = 0.003) in winter than summer, whereas no seasonal differences in these behaviours were observed for pet cats. A bimodal daily activity pattern, with peaks around sunrise and sunset, was observed across housing conditions and seasons. These findings demonstrate that both housing and seasonal conditions influence domestic cat behaviour and should be considered when interpreting behavioural studies.